What’s the news: The AMA is rolling out a series of free webinars to give physicians the evidence-based education they need to guide their discussions with patients about what constitutes a healthy diet and the impact of dietary patterns on overall health.
There is already CME credit available for the first episode in this AMA Ed Hub™ webinar series, which goes live with its first episode March 31, 2 p.m. CDT, and will be hosted by AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD.
Register now for the first webinar, “Dietary Guidelines: What Physicians Need to Know,” which will be available to watch on demand after the initial airing. The AMA has designated this blended live and enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Dr. Mukkamala’s interest in nutrition is longstanding. In addition to being a board-certified otolaryngologist—head and neck surgeon, he is board certified by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. For the episode on dietary guidelines, Dr. Mukkamala will be joined by two top experts in the field:
- Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, MPH, an AMA member who directs the Tufts Food is Medicine Institute and is professor of medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine and Division of Cardiology.
- Christopher Gardner, PhD, research professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine Prevention Research Center.
Physicians who watch the webinar will learn to describe the impact of dietary guidelines on nutrition and eating patterns, explain key points from the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and identify strategies for counseling patients on their diet and dietary choices
The succeeding AMA Ed Hub “Healthy Diet and Dietary Patterns” webinars, all hosted by Dr. Mukkamala, are:
- “Understanding Processed Food,” April 29, 11 a.m. CDT.
- “Helping Patients Navigate Protein,” May 19, 2 p.m. CDT.
- “Reducing Risk of Chronic Disease Through Diet,” 2 p.m. CDT.
Why it’s important: More than 100 million American adults have obesity, and more than one-third of U.S. adults have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. And, as Dr. Mukkamala said in January when the latest dietary guidelines were introduced, “highly processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages and excess sodium” are fueling “heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other chronic illnesses.” He added that “food is medicine.”
The AMA Ed Hub webinar series is just one of the commitments the AMA is making to improve clinical competency, deliver educational resources for physicians and work with Congress to enact meaningful, lasting nutrition change that can improve lives.
The AMA also will:
- Develop curated enduring material in microlearning format to support busy physicians that will be available on the AMA Ed Hub.
- Design educational resources available through institutional curriculum products that face specific audiences of medical students, residents and fellows and physicians.
- Convene a series of roundtables with physicians, nutrition experts and public health leaders to strengthen nutrition education and clinical competency. These efforts also will make it easier for physicians to talk to patients about the role of food in preventing—and even treating—chronic disease.
- Work with Congress to incentivize nutrient dense foods, expand food labeling efforts, define ultraprocessed foods, and boost investment in nutrition research.
“The AMA is focused on helping physicians translate this science into everyday care and helping patients improve their overall health,” Dr. Mukkamala said.
Learn more: The AMA also has applauded a Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) move to enhance nutrition education across all U.S. medical degree programs.
The LCME stipulates that medical education curriculum “includes content focused on factors that affect the ability to promote and maintain health across the life cycle. This content includes the role of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic disease, and other challenges to wellness associated with common societal problems.”
Learn more about the AMA’s CME accreditation.
